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As for Houston, the Texans released a veteran safety named C.J. Gardner-Johnson. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport was the first to break the news. The decision came a few weeks into his short stay with the Texans, and immediately speculated on where he may land next. Many believe a return to the Philadelphia Eagles is a possibility.
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With big ripples made in the league everywhere through the breakup of C.J. Gardner-Johnson from Houston Texans, it struck quickly to catch the wind. Another confirmation came from Pat McAfee himself about the decision. This now has opened a roster position for the Texans, yet may be asking questions about their depth in the secondary and where the safety could be headed next. After such a short period of his time with the Texans and with this kind of timing, fans and analysts alike have started speculating about what’s in store for the 26-year-old.
The wave of reaction broke out almost immediately and went primarily on Philadelphia. Quite a few comments then focused on the possibilities or considered about Gardner-Johnson returning to the Eagles that he used to play for. One person wistfully remarked, “going back to the eagles huh,” which pretty much sums up the sentiment of the majority. Another said front and center: “Eagles you know what to do.” It wasn’t some passing thought; a couple of users went as far to link Gardner-Johnson with success: “Last two times eagles went to SB CJGJ was on the team just saying,” correlating the player with the franchise’s recent Super Bowl attempts.
Not all were sentimental, positive comments. Some offered insight as to why the Texans had to cut ties. One said quite bluntly, “Did nothing to help them,” while another leaned into a more statistical argument, “I guess you missed the part where it says they released him… The guy was giving up one of the highest passer ratings in the league over the last few weeks lol.” So, from these comments, performance-related issues can pretty well be counted as a factor in the Texans’ decision.
Gardner-Johnson has landed on more than just Eagles-related speculation, however. “Chauncey gardner Johnson u r a Jacksonville Jaguars sir,” chimed another fan, “Bucs, you could do something pretttyyy hilarious,” pestering another. The Jets made an appearance as well, with an enthusiastic fan shouting, “To the motherfuckin Jets let’s fucking goooooooo!!!!!” Which truly shows that while Philly is the popular pick, other clubs have also been coupled with the veteran.
The conversation took a slight detour, showing more of a general discussion of the career than talk of Gardner-Johnson landing spots. One user labels the player an “NFL Bop,” the popular nickname for a player who constantly changes teams. Another users mused, “I mean dude has been released time and time again and yet he still gets signed and played.” Acknowledging his ability to get stays in the league despite these releases. Backers, however, shot with his accolades. One defender maintained, “He led the league in Interceptions in 2022 and was top 3 in Interceptions in 2024 this is CHATTER,” praising his credible ball-hawking ability.
Aside from where the player is really going to land, attention was diverted back to the Houston Texans for a moment. “Texans having an epic downfall yet no one seems to care,” hinting of underlying worries with the direction of the franchise following the roster move. Given Gardner-Johnson was considered one heck of a high-profile player to be talked about in his release, this move will almost certainly be seen as a shift in direction or a reaction to something not working on the field. This will be dissected in the following months as part of the Houston offseason game plan.
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That, in itself, says a lot about Gardner-Johnson: he is both a divisive and discussible type. His release is few words, in its own end point linebacker next chapter. Which way it should go: at Philadelphia or elsewhere, not quite settled yet. Texans decided; in the meantime, the whole NFL world waits to see which team lands this gifted safety.